M's still in on Semien after 2B addition?

MLB.com is keeping track of all the latest news and rumors surrounding infielder Marcus Semien, who is a free agent.

Read all about Semien here.

Nov. 27: M’s still in on Semien after adding second baseman?

The Mariners were connected to Semien earlier this offseason, but after Saturday’s trade to acquire Adam Frazier from the Padres for two players, the club’s double-play pairing may be set.

President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has made it clear the team is keeping J.P. Crawford at shortstop, so Seattle was believed to be considering Semien for second base, Frazier’s primary position.

That said, a deal with Semien can’t be ruled out entirely. MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal notes that the M’s are still looking to add and could use Frazier at multiple positions. Seattle still has an opening at third base after declining Kyle Seager’s club option.

The Mariners have a projected 2022 payroll of just $57 million, according to Cot’s Contracts, so there could be room to sign a Semien-level player.

Nov. 26: Tigers turn focus away from Semien
The Tigers have recently turned their focus to Javier Báez after talking to Semien and Carlos Correa, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.

Sources told MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi that Báez has been in conversation with multiple teams, including the Tigers, during the last week, and chances have increased that he will reach agreement on a contract with one of them before the end of the weekend.

The Tigers are known to be in the market for a shortstop and were mentioned as one of the favorites for Correa at the start of the offseason due to the connection between the 27-year-old and A.J. Hinch, the current Tigers and former Astros manager. But Correa is believed to be seeking a contract north of $300 million. As a result, Detroit has been considering alternatives, including Semien and Báez.

Nov. 19: Tigers 'considering' Semien (report)
With Carlos Correa's price tag potentially too steep, the Tigers are "considering" other stars in the shortstop-heavy free-agent market this offseason, particularly Marcus Semien and Javier Báez, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman. Heyman notes that Detroit has multiple needs this offseason, and won't spend $300 million or so on any one player.

Speculation was stoked when photos began making the rounds on social media of Correa meeting with Tigers manager A.J. Hinch over lunch in Houston on Thursday. Hinch, of course, was Correa's manager when the Astros won the World Series in 2017.

The Tigers have already been very active this offseason, signing left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez to a five-year contract and trading for catcher Tucker Barnhart from the Reds. It appears Detroit is looking to move from a rebuilding phase to a window of contention, and inking one of the big free-agent shortstops out there would certainly be a significant step in that direction.

Nov. 19: Rangers pursuing Semien in addition to Seager, Story (report)
The Rangers are dreaming big this offseason, setting their sights on multiple free-agent shortstops. According to MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi, Texas is showing interest in Semien in addition to Corey Seager and Trevor Story.

As Morosi noted in a follow-up tweet, the Rangers have as much payroll flexibility as any team. Reliever José Leclerc ($5.25 million) is the only player on the 40-man roster with a guaranteed salary for 2022.

Texas also owes $12.3 million to the Yankees for Rougned Odor, $7.25 million to the A's for Elvis Andrus and $3.6 million to pitcher Kohei Arihara, who signed a two-year deal with the Rangers last offseason but was outrighted to Triple-A Round Rock in September. Including those commitments and projected salaries for arbitration-eligible and pre-arb players, Cot's Baseball Contracts estimates the Rangers to have a current payroll of roughly $50 million for 2022.

In an article for The Athletic (subscription required) earlier this offseason, MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthal outlined the team's plans to go big in free agency and speculated the club could come away with not one, but two members of this year's star-studded shortstop class. Could the Rangers enter 2022 with a double-play combo of Seager or Story at short and Semien at second base?

Nov. 12: Seager, Semien expected to sign before December?
The current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on Dec. 1, and if no agreement is reached between the owners and the MLB Players Association by that time, all transactions will be halted until a new deal is in place.

Knowing this is a possibility, some free agents could look to accelerate the process of choosing their next team. Semien and Corey Seager, both clients of agent Scott Boras, are among the players said to be in this group.

According to Jeff Passan in an article for ESPN+ (subscription required), some executives interested in Semien and Seager get the sense the two are increasingly likely to sign contracts before December, though they also wondered whether this stance was just a negotiating ploy to draw out big spenders such as the Yankees.

Semien and Seager are part of a star-studded crop of free-agent shortstops along with Carlos Correa, Javier Báez and Trevor Story. With so many options available, some teams may prefer to wait out the market instead of overpaying for one of them.

Per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, the belief within the industry is that the Yankees prefer Seager. Passan hears the team has interest in Semien as well, while MLB Network insider Jon Heyman reported Thursday that the Bronx Bombers have been in contact with all five players.

Nov. 10: Can Blue Jays keep Semien and Ray?
While MLB.com's Mark Feinsand recently suggested the Blue Jays might have to choose between Semien and Robbie Ray, the club isn’t ruling out a return for both of its top free agents.

According to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, Toronto has been aggressive on the market in the early going this offseason and would love to re-sign Semien and Ray.

What might that cost? MLB Trade Rumors predicted six years, $138 million for Semien and five years, $130 million for Ray.

Toronto has shown more of a willingness to spend in recent years, inking the largest free-agent deal ($150 million for George Springer) in franchise history last offseason and the third largest ($80 million for Hyun Jin Ryu) the year before, but re-signing Semien and Ray would be taking it to another level.

The Blue Jays extended one-year, $18.9 million qualifying offers to both players, but each is likely to decline after signing a one-year contract following the 2020 season.

Nov. 8: Mariners eyeing Semien for second?
Semien has spent most of his career as a shortstop but enjoyed a huge 2021 after shifting over to second base in Toronto. Now a free agent again, Semien certainly could return to short, but some suitors might prefer to keep him on the right side of the infield.

Enter the Mariners. Seattle already has "shown sincere interest" in Semien, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi, as the club looks to build on a surprising 2021 campaign that saw it remain in Wild Card contention until the final day. But with 26-year-old J.P. Crawford in place at shortstop, Semien would be the better fit at second there.

While there is sure to be stiff competition for Semien's services, there is some reason to think he might return the Mariners' interest, with Morosi reporting that Semien would prefer to return to the West Coast. The Bay Area native played at UC Berkeley and then spent 2015-20 with Oakland.

Nov. 5: Which teams could be suitors for Semien?
Semien is coming off a historic season in which he belted 45 homers, setting a new single-season record for second basemen. Now that he's a free agent, there will likely be several potential suitors for the 31-year-old slugger. Which teams could they be? MLB.com's Mark Feinsand writes that the Blue Jays, Semien's team in 2021, as well as the White Sox, Rockies, Tigers, Astros, Cubs and Mariners could very well be in the mix. More >

Oct. 27: Boras Corporation to represent Semien (report)
Looking for a free-agent windfall this offseason, Semien has hired the Scott Boras Corporation to represent him, according to a report from MLB Network insider Jon Heyman.

Boras, of course, is easily the most recognizable name among baseball agents. Other pending free agents who are Boras clients include Corey Seager, Max Scherzer, Kris Bryant, Nick Castellanos and Carlos Rodón.

Semien was with the Wasserman Agency when he first tested free agency a year ago and inked a one-year, $18 million contract with the Blue Jays.

The veteran infielder is in a much better position than he was in 2020 after producing 45 homers and a 133 OPS+ over 162 games this past season. Semien also proved to be just as strong of a defender at second base as he was at shortstop after making the position switch with Toronto.

Oct. 20: Semien joins all-time FA shortstop class; where will he sign?
After a career season in some aspects for the 2021 Blue Jays, Semien has earned the right to be mentioned alongside Javier Báez, Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Trevor Story in a free-agent shortstop class for the ages. In a poll of 11 MLB evaluators using a 1-5 ranking system (five points when ranked first, four when ranked second, etc.) conducted by Buster Olney for his Tuesday column on ESPN.com (subscription required), Semien finished third behind Seager and Correa. Those evaluators praised Semien's durability across the past handful of seasons, while acknowledging that Semien could be better suited at second base (where he excelled this year for Toronto) instead of his traditional spot at shortstop. One evaluator called Semien "the safest investment. I would put my head on the pillow every night knowing that the money I spent to sign him is going to be worth it."

So which teams make sense for Semien? Olney lists the Blue Jays, Giants, Mariners, Rangers and Tigers as potential landing spots. Per Olney, some evaluators hear that Semien would prefer to play closer to Berkeley, Calif., his hometown, while others believe he enjoyed playing in Toronto.

Oct. 3: Semien sets record for homers by a second baseman
Semien's one-year, $18 million deal with the Blue Jays proved to be a great move for the club, with the veteran crushing a career-high 45 homers -- the most ever by a second baseman.

The 31-year-old is now set to reach free agency again, and his stock is much higher than it was a year ago, when he hit the market after hitting .223 with seven homers and a .679 OPS across 53 games during the pandemic-shortened season.

Semien was a shortstop prior to 2021, but his willingness to play second could be important for his market given the strength of this year's free-agent shortstop class, which will include Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Trevor Story and Javier Báez.

The Blue Jays could make Semien a qualifying offer, but he is likely to reject it in search of a multi-year deal.

With 8.4 Baseball-Reference WAR in 2019 and 7.1 in '21, Semien is the only player in the Majors to produce at least 6.0 bWAR in multiple seasons since the beginning of 2019.